Lenny Webster

Nice fellow, Lenny Webster. Husband and father. Active in the community. Pretty good catcher. Fair hitter. Part-timer mostly during eight years of bouncing around: Minnesota, Montreal, Philadelphia, now the Baltimore Orioles. Never would have dreamed he'd be at the center of something like this. "Bizarre," is the way he put it Sunday night. "All I can say, man, is that it's very bizarre."

Nice fellow, Lenny Webster. Husband and father. Active in the community. Pretty good catcher. Fair hitter. Part-timer mostly during eight years of bouncing around: Minnesota, Montreal, Philadelphia, now the Baltimore Orioles. Never would have dreamed he'd be at the center of something like this. "Bizarre," is the way he put it Sunday night. "All I can say, man, is that it's very bizarre."

The ruling that Omar Vizquel did not foul off a squeeze bunt attempt, which bounced off catcher Lenny Webster's glove and allowed Marquis Grissom to score the winning run in the 12th inning, wasn't Baltimore Manager Davey Johnson's only beef with home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck. "I asked for an appeal from the second-base umpire and didn't get it," Johnson said. "I was about ready to go crazy because [Hirschbeck] made the call and began walking off the field. Then he came back to hear me out."

The ruling that Omar Vizquel did not foul off a squeeze bunt attempt, which bounced off catcher Lenny Webster's glove and allowed Marquis Grissom to score the winning run in the 12th inning, wasn't Baltimore Manager Davey Johnson's only beef with home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck. "I asked for an appeal from the second-base umpire and didn't get it," Johnson said. "I was about ready to go crazy because [Hirschbeck] made the call and began walking off the field. Then he came back to hear me out."

One of baseball's strangest post-season games had one of the most bizarre endings ever in the playoffs as the thrill-a-minute Cleveland Indians surged ahead in the American League championship series. On an afternoon and evening of numerous missed chances, Marquis Grissom scored on Lenny Webster's passed ball as Omar Vizquel botched a squeeze bunt in the 12th inning, giving the Indians a 2-1 victory over Baltimore.

One of the most unique spring training camps in baseball history opens Friday in Homestead, Fla. The players' association was completing a deal to open a camp for Dave Winfield, Kevin Brown and maybe more than 100 other free agents in this city south of Miami, which was set to be the spring home of the Cleveland Indians until Hurricane Andrew severely damaged it in 1992. Former Baltimore manager Cal Ripken Sr.

First baseman David Segui was dealt from the Seattle Mariners to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitchers Tom Davey and Steve Sinclair. Segui, 33, is batting .293 in 90 games with 22 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 39 runs batted in. Segui refused to talk to reporters. "He's going to be a free agent at the end of the year. We got a couple of good young pitchers for him," Mariner Manager Lou Piniella said.

Roberto Alomar was four for six with two doubles as the Baltimore Orioles extended their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 9-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday night. Alomar is 20 for 38 against the Rangers this season. The second baseman has three four-hit games this season and 25 in his career. The Orioles had 18 hits, one off their season high set Wednesday night in a 14-3 victory over the Rangers. Texas has lost five in a row.

The Baltimore Orioles extended their winning streak to seven games Wednesday night and won for the first time on the road in 11 games with a 14-3 rout of the Texas Rangers. Mike Bordick and Lenny Webster both went three for five and drove in two runs, and Rafael Palmeiro homered for the Orioles. "We still feel we have a chance [at a wild card spot], everybody in this clubhouse feels that way," Webster said. "We're on a hot streak right now and we want to keep it up."

One of baseball's strangest post-season games had one of the most bizarre endings ever in the playoffs as the thrill-a-minute Cleveland Indians surged ahead in the American League championship series. On an afternoon and evening of numerous missed chances, Marquis Grissom scored on Lenny Webster's passed ball as Omar Vizquel botched a squeeze bunt in the 12th inning, giving the Indians a 2-1 victory over Baltimore.

Pinch-hitter Eric Davis' sacrifice fly in the eighth inning lifted the Orioles over Texas, 1-0, Monday night, dropping the Rangers two games behind the Angels in the AL West. Baltimore has won six consecutive games, including three in a row from the Angels over the weekend. The Orioles are 6 1/2 games behind Boston in the wild-card hunt, but for the most part their role down the stretch will be that of a spoiler. Cal Ripken Jr.

Angel right fielder Tim Salmon had surgery on his right foot in a procedure similar to the one he had on his left foot following the 1998 season. He is expected to be fully recovered before of spring training. * Members of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) High band refused to play the national anthem before Sunday's Tampa Bay season finale after Devil Ray officials told them they would have to pay $6 each to enter Tropicana Field.